1.

Resource recovery

Issue: To achieve our ambitions for the circular economy and the move to a low carbon economy, there is a pressing need for resource recovery from all wastewater streams. This includes those supporting the water industry (supply and treatment processes), manufacturing, chemical, food and drink, construction and other sectors.

Ask: We seek projects that clearly identify the potential for resource recovery (energy, heat, compounds of value, and other components) and consider appropriate markets or destinations for recovered resources. In particular, we seek projects that consider how best to develop a hierarchy of interventions for individual wastewater streams, maximising the potential for resource recovery aligned to their particular characteristics and value.

2.

Pollution detection

Issue: Innovative approaches are needed to detect and assess the magnitude of pollutant burdens in different waters (standing and running waters, potable supplies, waste streams etc). There is a need to focus on emerging pollutants of concern, such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and organics etc.

Ask: We seek projects proposing ways of detecting in situ pollutant loading and the presence and quantification of emerging contaminants and their bioavailability. Projects should propose the use of novel methodologies, techniques, and approaches, embracing, where relevant, satellite and digital opportunities and real time assessment.

3.

Transforming how we use water

Issue: Climate-induced hydrological changes necessitate new ways of thinking about how to manage, apportion, and conserve water even in temperate and wet climates. This could come about through a transformation in the management of rural and local supplies to enhance their resilience to hydrological extreme events, or through activities that reduce demand and increase efficiencies in vulnerable sectors [e.g., agriculture, rural residential, construction, food production], as well as promoting household reductions in water use.

Ask: We seek projects that explore system transformation against a background of the need to reduce consumption whilst ensuring appropriate water allocation across society and the economy. We encourage projects that explore both technological and social innovation to achieve sustainable outcomes. Projects may wish to consider adopting comparative approaches that explore good practices in international contexts.

4.

Hydrogen economy

Issue: Scotland can become a leading nation in the production of reliable, competitive, sustainable hydrogen. The draft Hydrogen Action Plan articulates the actions that will be taken over the next five years to support the development of a hydrogen economy to further efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Scotland’s energy system while ensuring a just transition

Ask: We seek projects exploring the role of water in the hydrogen economy. In particular, technological approaches to the use of water and wastewater streams (all sectors) for hydrogen generation, as well as broader consideration of the environmental and societal impacts of wider production on rural and urban businesses and communities are of interest.

5.

Emerging Pressures on Scotland’s Waters

Issue: Global shocks and disruptions, driven by climate change and geopolitical events have placed new demands on land. In the short term, these demands range from woodland expansion for carbon sequestration to the transformation of agriculture for food and fibre production. What will these changes mean for Scotland’s waters?

Ask: We invite proposals which investigate how land use and landcover changes in response to external shocks and pressures (economic, environmental, and political), and in turn how these changes impact Scotland’s water resources and/or water environment. Projects could explore impacts to groundwater and surface waters (quality and quantity). We are especially interested in projects that devise systems approaches and/or predictive models.

6.

Wildcard: Bottom-up Innovation

Issue: Development of new technologies within the water sector proceeds at pace to both mitigate the carbon emissions from water processes, as well as make our water services more resilient to climate change. Yet there is a growing appreciation of the need for new thinking about how we tackle these twin challenges and bring about both technological and social transformations to ensure a water secure future.

Ask: We invite proposals which identify, propose, and/or explore examples of ‘bottom-up’ initiatives, solutions, or innovations to reduce the impact of water processes and/or make these processes more resilient in the face of shocks. These could include new partnerships or collaborations to improve management of water resources, small-scale low-cost or disruptive technologies, or social innovations that enhance the resilience of households and communities. The primary criterion for this category is the focus on problem-driven, multi-stakeholder, solutions that are attuned to the social contexts in which water challenges unfold. We particularly welcome engagements with cross-territory learning and knowledge exchange.

Review of Project Proposals by Hydro Nation Stakeholder Panel